MARTIAL ARTISTRY SHAOLIN KUNG FU & CHINESE WUSHU

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

ONLINE SCRAPBOOK - JULY THROUGH DECEMBER 2016

December, 2016

December was a busy month at Martial Artistry Shaolin Kung Fu and Chinese Wushu, and the season’s festivities forced us to abandon our typical sash presentation format in favor of one that allowed for students to test for new sashes, yet be home with their families for the holidays, so there was no opportunity for a group photo. Fortunately, a number of our students posed the month before for school photos, so we were able to get at least some pictures.

We had a nice, large testing group for our kung fu classes, and here’s a list of those receiving new sash ranks in the martial arts:

Congratulations to all those who received promotions in our kung fu and wushu classes in Albuquerque!

November 26, 2016

November was quite the month for our kung fu school, as – along with a talented group of underbelts - we welcomed our third black sash, Diana Ma. Unlike many other schools, where rank is given quickly on either a time schedule or a pay-to-play basis, black sashes here are hard-earned and gloriously celebrated, with plaques and banners, ceremonies and lion dancing.

Diana chose to present Bagua Zhang 八卦掌 (Eight Trigram Palm) for her black sash. The viewing benches were filled to capacity, and the audience spilled out across the floor of the martial arts school.

After the exhibition of this complex and beautiful internal form and the multiple ceremonies of presentation to the ancestors of our lineage, three of Martial Artistry’s cadre of ten Chinese lions rendered to Diana, each in turn, the other accoutrements of her rank.

First was her black sash, presented by Li. Our yellow lion, Li, has special significance for Diana, as she played his head throughout her tenure as lion dance team leader for our wushu demonstration team, Steel Phoenix. For this ceremony, Li was played by Monique Renee Cordova (head) and Ellie Wilson (tail).

Cao-Cao, our kung fu school’s fighting lion, was chosen to convey Diana’s plaque commemorating her accomplishment. Cao-Cao was played by Christina Maze (head) and Keith Weber (tail). The raw materials for Cao-Cao's new grey and black beard were donated by Dorothy Stender, and lovingly crafted by Monique Renee Curley, who also tested for her brown sash that day.

Lastly, Fu, our senior lion, played by lion dance team leaders Dani and Edi Juares, (head and tail, respectively), presented Diana’s black sash banner with her Wu family name, to be displayed proudly at our wushuguan.

A final lion dance, with three big bows, closed the celebration.

The lion dancing was greatly enhanced by the addition of a new gong stand, made by Todd Coffey. Our musicians for the day’s Chinese lion dances were Kevin Huang (drummer), KJ McIver (gongs), and George Bennett (cymbals).

Afterward, the martial arts presentation group posed with their new sashes, listed below with the kung fu forms they presented.